When a game isn't an RPG, yet has RPG elements in it, it usually ends up pretty good. Examples of this are the Megaman Legends series, River City Ransom, and Castlevania: SOTN and COTM. How come more games aren't made this way? Am I forgetting a huge pile of crappy games made like this?

-Traks

Draconius:
Well, you are of course missing the most obvious (and popular) action game with RPG elements, The Legend of Zelda. And, as history (and numerous sequels) have shown, it does indeed end up pretty good. As to why more games aren't made this way, your guess is as good as mine.

Googleshng:
"RPG elements" can mean an awful lot of things. There really isn't any game you can't claim has "RPG
elements" if you try hard enough, which makes it tough to gauge their average effect on enjoyability.

Big Multiparter

I'm sure this will sound like a stupid question, but I have to know... I've never been a real follower of the dragon quest/warrior saga, (though I have owned the first nes game, I never finished it, too many other games too play.. ^_^)
But enough with my habit of not finishing games... I've seen so much publicity about this new Dragon Warrior VII and I just wanted to know if the series actually followed a specific storyline, or is it like Final Fantasy in that it doesn't relate to any of the previous games, but just has the same title to promote sales. (I want to know if I should get all the other games in the series, I hate playing a sequel and not knowing a key story reference...)
I'd probably know this information if I went and read about DW VII but I can't stand reading spoilers, so I try to avoid articles that tell me about the story.

Draconius:
Well, I have a confession to make. I've nevered played any of the DW games. So I really have no idea. :-(

Googleshng:
Dragon Warrior 1-3 are all set in the same world as each other. Dragon Warrior 4-6 are all set in the
same world as each other. Dragon Warrior 8 and 9 will be set in the same world as 7. So there's no real
story connection between seven and earlier games, but any other game in the series is connected to two
others.

Now that I've got that out of the way, I'll come up with a few random questions ^_^

1. Whats the worst game you have EVER played? (Anything, not just RPG's)

Draconius:
1. Uhh, I played a lot of REALLY bad games when I was a little kid.. though I can't seem to remember of them right now.. I do remember this one "Cool Spot" it was some kind of 7-up game or something. It sucked.

Googleshng:
I have, in my life, played thousands of games. Those which were really terrible, I touched once and never
gave another thought. That makes singling out the most awful one pretty tricky. Let me just name the worst
one I can see right now. Aha. Parasite Eve 2.

2. The opposite of 1

Draconius:
2. <del>-1</del>Ohh, okay I see what you mean. Well, Chrono Trigger is the first thing that comes to mind, though Earthbound was also memorable. I don't like to compare my games to each other, it hurts there little egos, and they tend to make me die more often.

Googleshng:
This is even harder for me to answer since I never compare games across genres, so let me just look the
other way and answer. StarCraft. So what if there's only 2 other games that way!

3. Whats the weirdest most messed up anime you've ever seen?

Draconius:
3. I'm not really a huge anime fan, except for stuff like DBZ and Pokemon(does that even count?) Though now that I think about it, Pokemon is pretty messed up. I mean, its been how many years now? You'd think they'd grow up a little. And when is Team Rocket gonna get a clue? Okay, moving on..

Googleshng:
Are all these questions going to be so hard? Hmmmmmm....... Maze.

4. How many slimes have you massacred in your life?

Draconius:
4. I used to pour salt on slugs when I Was little. Does that count? Also, in Secret of Mana, my favorite leveling up technique was to kill slimes, because they multiplied.

Googleshng:
More than one, and probably less than 100,000,000. Probably.

5. Xbox or gamcube? (PSX is implied... gotta have that for FFX & XenoSaga)

Draconius:
5.Gamecube. Even if for no other reason than to play Super Smash Brothers: Melee.

Googleshng:
Finally an easy one! Gamecube. The X-Box is just a complete and utter joke.

6. Whats the most money you've ever spent on games in one day?

Draconius:
6.That's a toughie. I once had a $100 certificate for this used games store, and spent that all in one day. However, if you count the cost of a game system too, then I probably spent the most on my PSX.

Googleshng:
$250 plus tax. That's the most I've ever spent in a pop, but I've spent that much many a time... and
I'll spend that much again this month actually.

7. Would you like fries with that?

Draconius:
7. Yes. Super-sized please.

Googleshng:
No.

8. (this is for bonus points ^_^) Name that quote...
Hey, you don't look so happy, you'd better cheer up, or you'll become a zombie

-------
Haerodan

Draconius:
8. ummm.. Earthbound? Seems like an Earthboundy thing.

Googleshng:
Well, since you said NAME the quote not PLACE the quote, I hereby dub it Eustice.

Small Multiparter

*Bursts into room* Hi Goolgeshang-however it's spelt!

A few questions:

1) Is it true that FF7 is based on a book called "The Mako Chronicles"?

Draconius:
1. Doubtful. Final Fantasy games don't tend to be based on things.

Googleshng:
I thought I'd heard every crazy FF7 rumor by now. All FF7 is based on is Sakaguchi's moping about his
dead mother... like most of his stuff has been lately.

2) From left to right, what do each of the element symbols in Star Ocean: The
Second Story represent?

Draconius:
2. No idea, I lent that game to a friend a couple years ago and never got it back.

Googleshng:
I haven't touched that game since the week it came out, but I seem to recall it being pretty straight
forward... doesn't it say if you hit select or something?

3) Gamecube or X-Box?

Dex Vandar
Child of the Moon

Draconius:
3. *blinks* Once again, Gamecube. Who wants to be playing a game and suddenly be faced with the BSoD(Blue Screen of Death)?

Googleshng:
As I said above, the Gamecube outshines the X-Box no matter how you look at it.

Kingdom Hearts

Hi, Googleshng!
Just wondering, with this new development over which Cid is in Kingdom
Hearts... Do you think it will be worth buying now? My logic is that they're
taking Cid Highwind, the guy who sweared more times in Final Fantasy VII than
any other character AND Rocket Towns resident Marlboro man, and turning him
into.........Well, something that can be presented to little kids without
fear of parents screaming at Square\Disney for "introducing young
impressionable minds to such garbage."

Also, what do you think they'll change Cid's cigarette into? My bets are for
bubble gum (A non-smoker's delight), a sucker (after all, they *look* like
cigarettes) or a candy cane (same reason as suckers).

-Kenji Kotaro

Draconius:Note: I haven't really been keeping up with this game, due to some deep psychological urge to pretend it doesn't exist.

Honestly, FF7 Cid WOULD be most logical. FF8 cid wasn't even a playable guy, FF6 Cid was a nerd (and besides, I let him die), and both FF6 and FF4 cids are sprites. FF7 Cid is already all 3d n stuff, though I'm sure they'll completely neuter him. *sigh* Such is the way of things.

Googleshng:
If the inclusion of FF7's Cid in Kingdom Hearts actually effects whether you want the game or not, that's
just odd. 51 insane concepts and 50 insane concepts keep you about even in my book. 8)

Chrono stuff

I have more of a comment than a question. I don't know why everyone says Chrono Cross was such a bad game. Perhaps some people didn't like it as much at Chrono Tigger but it was still a very good game.

Draconius:
Firstly, CT is one of the greatest games of all time, IMHO. With all the anticipation over CC, it was bound to disappoint. This is another game I have yet to beat, though I did play through it several hours, and found it quite enjoyable. The only thing that bugged me was the number of playable characters. Way too many. Oh, also, I had expected more references to CT (Though, to be fair, I haven't played all the way through, maybe it does tie in more.).

Googleshng:
There are a a lot of good things about Chrono Cross, and I don't hear people bashing it very often at all.
Those who do have reason too though. While it isn't a BAD game, there ARE a few glaring flaws in it. Like, for example, the ending,
the treatment it gives the characters from the original, and the terrible terrible interface.

The Last Laugh:

Draconius: Well, that was a lot shorter than I had expected. And no AC questions! I'm hurt! Anyway, visit Asheron's Call Stratics, again, the greatest AC news site anywhere. Asheron's Call:Dark Majesty, the new expansion pack, was just released on the 26th. It includes the original AC, along with all the monthly updates up to september(yay, no 80mb download!), as well as a free month of gameplay. So go out and buy it, or even better, go to Asheron's Call Stratics, and there is a link to where you can order it online.
Well, that about wraps it up, so.. uh, bye!
Oh yeah! Happy Birthday Auz!

Google: Making an after-the-last-minute check here, I see one more letter that came in after the
bell. It points out for the sake of general accuracy that the whole tongue-click-language bit is associated
with various small tribes in Africa, not Aborigines. Mentioning this has spared me the trouble of writing
a closing.